


Stay Awake

by cerebral_thunder



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: I promise, M/M, One Shot, Please be warned, Prompt Fic, attempted suicide, but there's a happy ending, talk of depression, there is a fair bit of panic and angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-30
Updated: 2016-06-30
Packaged: 2018-07-19 05:04:46
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,471
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7346239
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cerebral_thunder/pseuds/cerebral_thunder
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Prompt #19: "You're gonna make it, just stay awake."<br/>Drarry one-shot. <br/>This was written at 2 am and was not beta-ed, so please excuse any mistakes I might have missed. Comments, critiques and suggestions are welcome.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Stay Awake

He’d finished his paperwork in record time, intent on returning home as soon as possible to tell Draco about his big capture earlier in the day. His shoes clicked on the pavement as he hurried his pace, seeing their apartment building coming closer. 

Harry and Draco had started dating the last few months of their 8th year, much to the relief of their friends, who had seen the match coming way before either of them had. The summer after graduation, they had bought a flat together in downtown London, and they both enjoyed freedoms neither of them had hitherto enjoyed. And although the nightmares still plagued them most nights, waking up to the other boy had helped Harry deal with the post-nightmare panic. As they continued to sleep next to each other, Harry found he was afflicted with nightmares less and less as time went on. Draco, however, still woke up screaming and panicked most nights, and Harry would have to work very hard to not only wake him up, but to calm him down afterward. During the day, Draco would seem completely himself; snarky and hard to please at times, but he never seemed truly discontent with his current circumstances. Harry hoped this meant that Draco’s lingering depression that had continued post-Hogwarts, was slowly waning, and that one day Draco would sleep the whole night through untroubled. 

As Harry unlocked the door to their flat and stepped inside, ready to begin his tale, Draco was nowhere to be seen. Most nights, Harry could find him reading a novel in their big easy chair, or fixing a cup of tea in the kitchen. But the flat was still and silent, the only light coming from a dying fire in the grate, and Harry’s panic rose. 

“Draco?” he called into the stillness. “Draco, love? I’m home. Are you here?”

No response, and Harry’s panic increased. His heart started to race and his mind sharpened. He began a list in his head of all the possible places Draco could be, but none of them seemed likely. It wasn’t like Draco to be out this late alone, he hardly liked wandering London alone during the day. He had to be somewhere in the flat. Perhaps he had gone to bed early, although he would usually wait for Harry to get back from work before going to bed. 

Harry made his way to their bedroom, and dimly lit the tip of his wand, in case Draco was indeed asleep. Slowly opening the bedroom door, Harry found the bed as empty and still as the apartment. His heart now pounding quite loudly in his ears, he saw a small light coming from the crack in the bathroom door. He strode over and knocked softly, calling “Draco?” as he did so. 

A soft sound came from within, but was muted by the closed door and Harry couldn’t make out what had caused it. “I’m coming in.” he said, and slowly pushed the door open. 

His heart went from erratic to silent in the space of a second, and his hand started to shake. In the next second, his heart jumped alive again and resumed its frantic pace. There on floor lay Draco, shaking and pallor, curled into himself as if to disappear. There was vomit on and near the toilet, suggesting Draco was sick and not altogether clear-minded. There was an upturned, unlabeled bottle near Dracos feet that was clearly empty. 

All of this registered in Harry’s mind within the space of a second, his Auror training kicked in and he nearly ran to Draco’s side, falling hard on his knees next to Draco’s pallor face. He took Draco’s face in his hands and called his name, perhaps louder and more frantic than he meant to. 

“Draco! Draco, please. Please wake up. Don’t leave me like this, I’ll never forgive you. Please, Draco, come back.”

Draco’s lashes fluttered, and Harry heard a murmur and a moan, and Draco’s eyes opened fully. His pupils had dilated, their normal bright steely colour had dulled and the whites were tinged with dark red. Harry saw recognition reflected in the black, and Draco’s lashes started to softly close again. 

“No, Draco! Stay with me. You’re gonna make it, just stay awake. Come on, Draco, please.”

Having affirmed that Draco was still alive, though only just, Harry rose to his feet with a speed borne of panic, and flew to dying fireplace. A handful of green powder was thrown in, a name was shouted, and before the other party could utter a word, Harry was reciting, “Someone’s been poisoned. 19 year old male wizard, approximately 170 pounds. Conscious but incoherent. I’m bringing him through, be ready.” Without waiting for a reply, Harry ran back to the bathroom, knelt and gently brought Draco into his arms. Holding him now, Harry could feel Draco shaking, could hear his erratic breathing and his adrenaline spiked again. Holding Draco close, Harry carried him as fast as he could over to the fireplace and through the emerald flames to the white hall beyond, whispering in the blond's ear the whole way. 

Once Draco lay on the gurney that was waiting on the other side as requested, Harry felt the fight leave him and he would have fallen if the attending nurse hadn’t caught him and led him to a chair nearby. Everything blurred and he felt himself moving and answering questions as if from afar. The patient's name, age, weight? Medical and family history? Does the sir know what kind of poison was used? Question after question was answered listlessly. After several hours and only a moment, another nurse came out of the room where Draco resided and approached Harry. She smiled softly and told him, “He’s awake and well, though he’s weak and may not be up for lengthy conversation. You’re free to go in and see him if you’d like, Harry.” 

All lingering vestiges of fatigue left Harry then, and he beamed a grateful smile at the nurse as he rushed past her. He stopped for a moment outside the door, composed himself as best he could, and slowly pushed the door open. 

Draco lay propped on pillows in a dim room, magical monitors beeping and pulsing gently against the wall behind him. His eyes had been closed, but at the light from the hall he slowly blinked them open. Seeing Harry, his eyebrows knit together and he seemed to shrink into himself. Knowing this to be a sign of fear, Harry approached the bedside and sat next to Draco. He reached out a hand touched Draco’s cheekbone, now back to a normal shade of pale, and thoughtfully brushed his thumb across the angular skin. Harry lifted his eyes, emerald met steel, and the lighter pair widened at the winding tears trailing down the tan skin. 

“Harry.” Draco’s voice was a whisp, a rasping breath that made Harry’s own breath catch in his throat. “You’re not angry?”

“How could I be angry?” Harry whispered through his tears. “I almost lost you, Draco. When I found you, I thought you were dead. I couldn’t breathe, I couldn’t move. I thought I wouldn't make it here in time. The only thing I’m feeling is relief that I can sit here and hear you say my name.”

Draco’s eyebrows knit together again, and as he squeezed his eyes shut a few tears of his own escaped. Harry wrapped him gently in his arms, Draco’s forehead resting on his collarbone and Harry’s nose tickled by blond hair. 

“I want to ask you why, and how, and all sorts of other things. But it can wait, because right now I just want to hold you and hear you breathe.” Harry murmured into Draco’s hair, and he felt Draco’s weak arms hold him just a little tighter. 

“Will you… will you stay?” 

“Of course. How could I leave you when I just got you back?”

Harry feels Draco smile against his collarbone, and he lets Draco go. After pulling out his wand, Harry expands the bed to accommodate them both (because after tonight he will bloody well be sleeping next to Draco, thank you) and Draco scoots over slightly to make room for him. 

With the monitors steady beeping, letting Harry know just how alive his Draco is, and with Draco’s head laying gently on the curve between his neck and his shoulder, he felt himself relax completely for the first time since leaving work a million hours earlier. Even laying in a hospital bed, he was with Draco, and Draco was Home. Realized once again how close he came to losing that, Harry kissed the top of Draco’s head with all the tenderness possible, and whispered, “I love you, Draco. So bloody much. Please stay.”

And Draco answered, “I will.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! Again, comments and suggestions are always welcome. Loves!


End file.
